


Pidge is a Girl

by Saasan



Series: Pidge is a Girl and Lance is a Dork [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Angst and Fluff and Smut, Background Relationships, Blow Jobs, Canon Compliant, Explicit Consent, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, First Dates, First Kiss, First Time, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Oral Sex, Porn With Plot, Porn with Feelings, Post-Season/Series 04
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-02
Updated: 2018-01-02
Packaged: 2019-02-26 15:22:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,285
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13238565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Saasan/pseuds/Saasan
Summary: It's been three years since Pidge first revealed to the Paladins that she is a girl, and it has taken Lance three years to really get what that means...





	Pidge is a Girl

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry to anyone who thought the explicit content would apply to Sheith or Shunk. Purely background. The explicit Plance/Pidgance/whatever-this-ship's-actual-name-is starts at the --!!!-- and continues to the end of that segment, just in case explicit stuff isn't your cup of tea.

 

Hunk settled back comfortably on his bed. The end of another long day of hard training meant he was tired—but not too tired to message Shay. He blushed. It might have taken him almost three years to ask her out, but she’d said “yes”. He still couldn’t believe it. He rubbed his hands nervously and glanced at the clock. She should be up soon. The Castle of Lions moved around the galaxy so much that it was hard to keep track of timezones on different planets, but he always kept an extra clock by his bed, just for Shay. He pulled out his tablet and waited for her call.

Suddenly, Lance burst into the room.

“Dude! Do you ever knock?!” Hunk yelled.

“No time for that! It’s an emergency!” Lance panted, out of breath.

Hunk sprang off his bed. “What’s happened? Is it Zarkon?”

Lance swallowed hard and whispered hoarsely. “Pidge is a girl.”

Hunk smacked his forehead. “Uh, yeah dude. We kinda established that three years ago.”

“Yeah, but now she _looks_ like a girl. A cute one. What do I do???”

“Act normal?” Hunk shrugged.

“Hunk, my dude, you know I am physically incapable of acting normal,” Lance said, lip pouting.

Hunk grinned. Lance was such a lovable doofus. “Okay, so just act like you usually do. Be your usual, weird self.”

“Have you not seen her face?! How can I remember what usual is!!” Lance sighed dramatically and wilted onto Hunk’s bed. “I’m screeeeeewed.”

Hunk sat back on his bed and patted Lance’s shoulder. He knew it was his duty as Best Friend to play wingman, but he was also Pidge’s friend, so he felt a bit hesitant. Pidge might not appreciate it. But, he owed Lance one. The Blue Paladin had cheered him on for years after Hunk finally admitted he liked Shay.

“ _I can’t ask her out,” Hunk protested. “What would she want with a guy like me?”_

“ _My dude, my man. You’re a paladin of Voltron! That’s pretty much a superhero!”_

“ _I don’t think they have superheroes in space,” Hunk pointed out._

“ _Look, you’re a badass rebel fighter, protector of the universe, and you’re a giant piece of man meat. Look at you! Even your name is ‘Hunk’. You practically scream Man!” Lance said, finger-gunning and winking. “If I swang that way I’d be all over you.”_

“ _Please stop hitting on me,” Hunk groaned in mock pain. “And ‘swang’ isn’t a word.”_

“ _Your mom’s not a word,” Lance countered and they both laughed._

“Look, it’s not a big deal,” Hunk said. “Your crushes never last that long, and Pidge’s pretty clueless about this kind of thing, at least when it involves her. She probably won’t even notice you like her.”

Lance raised his face from hands, mouth open. “You think I…. _like_ her?”

“Duh?” Hunk said and rolled his eyes. “You like all cute girls.”

“Yeah, but it’s not like I’ve ever had to live with one before.”

“Did you seriously just forget that you had a crush on Allura for pretty much forever?”

Lance arched his eyebrows and smirked. “Ohhh, do you think Allura is cute? Should I tell Shay?”

“Oh quiznak, Shay! She’s gonna call me any second. Get out of here! I’ll help you with your lady problems later,” Hunk said, pushing Lance out the door.

“You go woo your girl, Lover Boy,” Lance said. “And Allura’s not cute, she’s beautiful!” he added over his shoulder.

 

~*~*~

 

“Rude!” Lance huffed to himself with a grin. He would much rather have stayed and talked to Hunk, but if he was going to get shoved into the hall, he was happy it was due to a girl.

“Yelling about Allura in the hallway? I’ll say that’s rude,” Pidge said dryly.

Lance whirled around to see Pidge walking toward him, arms full of wires and robot parts. “Uh, hey Pidge,” he croaked.

“Hey,” Pidge nodded. “Get the door for me? Hands are pretty full.”

“Oh, uh, yeah,” Lance squeaked. “Late night project?” He fell in line beside her as she walked toward her bedroom.

“Yup,” she sighed. “I wanted to test out some micro feedback on the asteroid fragments we picked up last week, but the radiation kept messing with my wavelength readings.”

“Naturally,” Lanced nodded, understanding nothing. “Radiation.” He was blushing.

“Anyway, my bot exploded, so I’m going to reconfigure it. Shouldn’t take more than few hours.”

Pidge was chewing her lip. Had she always done that when she thought? It was cute. Really, really cute. “Do you want some help?” Lance blurted out.

“Yeah, but Matt’s already conked out for the night,” she shrugged. “And pretty sure Shay’s up by now so Hunk will be useless.”

“I meant me,” Lance said. He grinned awkwardly.

Pidge laughed like Lance had just told some hilarious joke. “Ahaha! I forget that you can actually be funny sometimes, Lance!”

Lance’s face burned red. “Yup. That's me. I’m funny stuff.” They paused, now in front of Pidge’s door.

“1790036698102248,” she said crisply, reciting the password she’d added to her room.

“How do you remember something that long?!” Lance exclaimed, hurriedly punching in the numbers, trying to keep up.

“How do you not?” Pidge countered with a grin. Lance couldn’t help but notice her cheeks were flushed pink from her recent laughter. She stepped into her room. “Thanks, Lance. G’night!”

“N-night,” he croaked hoarsely as the door slide shut. He shoved his face in hands. “Screeeeeewed,” he whispered under his breath and staggered off to his bedroom.

 

 

~*~*~

 

 

Over the next few days, Lance discovered several additional qualities of Pidge that drove him crazy (in the best way). Adding to the lip-bite-while-thinking, there was also the way her eyebrows scrunched up when she worked on code, the determined grin when she was beating him at Advanced WarriorLords 5000, and the conniving sparkle in her eyes when she came up with a new way to hack into Galra technology. And her butt. Her butt was adorable, especially when she had to lean over to pick a space wrench up when Lance knocked it to the floor—something he may have done more than once (until Hunk caught him staring).

“I can’t help it. She’s too cute!” Lance wailed into Hunk’s pillow. At this point he had pretty much taken up residence in Hunk’s room.

“She is,” Shay sympathized over Hunk's tablet, “but that doesn't make it okay to stare at her like that.” Hunk wasn't overly pleased his time with Shay had been commandeered by Lance, but she seemed to genuinely sympathize with the lovesick paladin, and what's bad about having your best friend and girlfriend get along? A lack of alone time, maybe.

“Why not just ask her out?” Hunk said.

“Oh please, like you asked Shay? Three years later?” Lance said, rolling his eyes.

Shay made a happy squeal and blushed. “You really liked me for that long, Hunk?”

“Uhh,” he blushed back. “Yeah? I might have.” He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

“Girl, did he ever.” Lance hooked his arm around Hunk's neck and tugged him in for a noogie. “He's totally nuts over you.”

“Oww, lay off you buffoon!” Hunk said. He and Lance had a friendly wrestle while Shay laughed in the background. “You're making me look bad in front of my girlfriend!” He managed to get the upper hand and shoved Lance to the door. “Go make trouble somewhere else.”

“Fine, fine. I see how it is,” Lance got up and stuck out his tongue. “Later nerds.”

“Bye, Lance!” Shay waved. He waved back and left. “You guys are such good friends,” she sighed happily. “I'm really glad you have someone there to make you laugh. I worry about you, fighting so hard. I know you're making a lot of progress against the Galra, but it's still so dangerous.”

Hunk bashfully made a dismissive gesture. “Pshh. I mean, we work hard, but it's not all epic space battles. There's some really boring diplomatic meetings, too.”

Shay laughed, and then looked more serious. “I'm worried about Lance. He's really hung up on Pidge.”

Hunk settled himself more comfortably on his bed. “He's always got it bad for someone. Trust me. He catches crushes like they're the Fruvlicanitis cold, or whatever Coran calls it. I can't pronounce it.”

“But Hunk, he's constantly hitting on those girls. Have you ever seen him flirt with Pidge?”

That did make Hunk pause. Lance flirted with everyone. _Every_ one. Shay just might have a point. “No,” he admitted. “I don't think I have.” Lance just might be serious.

 

 

~*~*~

 

 

If Pidge noticed that Lance was acting weird—or at least, weirder than usual—she didn't mention it. She continued her regular routines and Lance trailed in her wake, blushing and gawking by turns. Hunk was relieved to think that the whole thing might blow without incident. That is, until the fateful game night.

Allura and Lotor were off on a diplomatic mission, Coran and Matt were making adjustments to the Castle, and Keith had recently returned from a Blade mission (meaning he and Shiro were preoccupied), so that left Pidge, Hunk, and Lance alone for the evening. Pidge challenged the boys to a racing game, loser does dishes for a week, and it was ON. Hunk's best chance of winning lay in sneaking to victory while Pidge and Lance squabbled with each other, and his plan was paying off as usual. One lap to go and the other two paladins were neck and neck, trash talking each other and completely ignoring Hunk, who was tight behind them.

“Dammit, Pidge! You gave me the bad controller again! Look, I can't turn to the right,” Lance whined, thrusting both the controller and himself to left, as if to emphasize his point, but in reality just shoving Pidge in the process.

“Get good, scrub!” she yelled, pushing him back with one leg, button mashing.

“Oy, get your scrawny gams out of my face, you maniac! I call foul,” Lance cried. He tried to hold down Pidge's leg and pin it to his chest with his elbows. He leaned over to her, holding his controller over as far as possible while still maintaining leverage over her leg. “This controller really does suck!”

“Shit player blames lag,” she laughed, wriggling her leg. “Let go.”

“Fat chance. You need a nerf,” he huffed, leaning further. “See the B button? You did this on purpose. Give me your controller, I'll prove it!” Lance made a mad grab for Pidge's controller, losing his balance as she pulled her leg free. She fell on her back and Lance fell over her, arm stretched out for the controller. She held onto it firmly as she laughed, squirming underneath him. To his credit (if it can be considered that), it took Lance at least five seconds of wrestling before he realized he was now straddling his crush, who lay pink-faced and breathless beneath him, her wrists pinned above her head by his hands. She grinned up at him mischievously and he flushed red to his roots.

“C'me here. I got something to tell you,” she purred, lips open.

Lance's brain short-circuited. He leaned down at her command.

“Gross, what the heck Pidge?!” he sputtered, jerking backwards. She had licked his nose, and the second he freed her hands she snatched up her controller and—still on her back, staring at the screen upside down—sped to victory (Hunk having been staring at them, frozen).

“HAH! Pwned! GG, bitches!” Pidge yelled.

Lance rubbed his nose with the back of his hand, mortified and somehow confused, like he wasn't sure what had just happened. Hunk gaped at him, mouth open.

“Yo perv, you getting off me anytime soon?” Pidge said, staring up at him, completely unimpressed.

“Ah, yeah, sorry,” Lance mumbled, scrambling away. “I, uh. I gotta pee,” he said. He fled the room.

“What's wrong with him?” Pidge said as she sat up.

Hunk helplessly shrugged. “So many things,” he said.

 

 

~*~*~

 

 

“So, that went well,” Hunk said later.

“Oh my goddddd,” Lance wheezed into a pillow. “That was SO embarrassing.”

“Yeah man, I was there,” Hunk snorted. “You were out of control.”

They were in Lance's room. After Lance had failed to reappear, Hunk and Pidge had decided to call it quits for the evening. As he suspected, Hunk found Lance in his room, desperately in need of comfort.

Lance raised his face from his pillow, looking pitiful. “Do you think she noticed?”

“Which part? The bit where you pinned her arms and totally dominated her or that thing where you completely ditched us after saying you needed to pee? Because I think she might have noticed both of those.”

“No,” Lance said hoarsely. “The part where I...leaned down to kiss her.”

“Oh my god, you _were_ trying to kiss her?! I'd hoped I'd just imagined that!”

Lance shoved his face back into his pillow with a groan. “I don't know man. She was just grinning at me and telling me to get closer, and her lips looked so soft and she was blushing and I don't know! I wasn't thinking!”

“Shocking,” Hunk said, but he patted Lance's shoulder affectionately. “I don't think she realized you were going for a kiss, for what it's worth. But she _definitely_ noticed you were being super weird.”

Lance groaned again before lifting himself onto his elbows. “Hunk, mi amigo, when they write my tombstone, please add 'He was comforted in his dying hour by his beloved friend and compatriot, Hunk'.”

Hunk chuckled. “Sure thing, buddy. I got some time before Shay calls—wanna go make some cookies?”

Lance brightened slightly. “Yeah, dude. Sounds great.”

 

 

~*~*~

 

 

Pidge didn't ask Lance about what had happened the next day, but she did sometimes open her mouth to say something, frown, and stop. It was hardly good news, but he still found it encouraging. If she wasn’t going to bring it up, neither was he.

Coran and Matt were still finishing their adjustments on the Castle, so dinner that night was just the five original Paladins.

“So,” Lance said, attempting to be casual, “you up for some gaming later, Pidge?”

“Nah, I’m planning a porn night.”

Lance choked on his food and coughed. Space goo dribbled from his nose and he furiously wiped his face with a napkin. “P-porn night? You watch porn?”

“Duh? I’m 18 and there’s not a lot of options for dating in space, in case you hadn’t noticed. A girl’s gotta take care of her needs somehow,” she said reasonably. “Plus, Zarkon’s forces keep us just a *little* busy. No time for dating anyway.”

“Keith and Shiro manage it. _Hunk_ manages it,” Lance pointed out.

“Hey!” Hunk interjected. “What do you mean by ‘ _Hunk_ ’?!”

Pidge frowned and fidgeted. “Well, I guess I just haven’t met my special alien yet.”

“C’mon now. Keith might be half-Galra, but he’s not an _alien_. And Shiro may be out-of-this-world gorgeous, but he’s not an alien, either,” Lance said.

“Thanks, Lance,” Shiro said with a genuine grin.

“Are you _sure_ you’re straight?” Keith glowered. He unconsciously put a protective hand on Shiro’s knee.

“I might be straight but I have eyes, my man,” Lance said, turning in his seat and finger-gunning. “You caught a specimen.”

Keith turned away with a blush. “Yeah,” he muttered. Shiro leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.

“Thanks, honey.”

“Now look what you did,” Pidge said as she stood up. “You made them gross again. Anyway, Lance is on plate duty everyone. Good night!” And she left.

Lance watched her leave with mournful eyes. He had been abandoned. He pushed at his goo for a few minutes before standing up and declaring himself ready for bed. Keith raised an eyebrow.

“What was that about dish duty? You shirking on that?”

“I'll get them in the morning,” Lance said, walking out.

“No you won't!” Hunk called after him, but he was gone.

Out in the hall, Lance tried to come to terms with his new found knowledge of Pidge's habits as he walked back to his room. _Oh god. Pidge watches porn. Pidge is watching porn right now._ Lance couldn’t decide if this was the best or the worst thing ever. An aroused Pidge was a good mental image. Scratch that—a GREAT mental image. But aroused by what? Some innocent anti-gravity shenanigans, or some crazy alien tentacles? Or who? Some giant, beefy man piled high with muscles? Maybe a buxom lady with sassy hips? One thing he was certain of: whatever Pidge was watching, none of the stars would like him. Even if on the tiny, tiny chance Pidge did like him (hah! as if), he wasn’t exactly fantasy material. Not that he was bad looking, he reasoned with himself. All that training had certainly secured him a fine set of abs, and he was religious about his skincare. Maybe the next time they went planet side, he'd treat himself to some new lotions, just to stay on top of his game. That might cheer him up. Might not. He sighed. He really wished he could at least know what Pidge was looking at, then he'd have something to go off of if he—

“Whoa there!” Matt said. Lance had nearly plowed into him.

“Ah, sorry!” Lance said. “I was lost in thought.”

“In unfamiliar territory, eh?” Matt ribbed. “What're you thinking about?”

“I was thinking about, uh,” Lance stammered, bright red. A sudden idea leaped out at him. “Pidge! Pidge is watching porn!”

“Uhh, that's great..?” Matt said, confused and more than a little weirded out. “And I'd want to know that why...?”

“I was thinking you could hack her!” Lance said. He was completely serious.

“That sounds just a tiny bit inappropriate. Why would I want to—ohh,” Matt said with a sudden grin. “I see where you're going with this. Excellent.” He rubbed his hands together conspiratorially. “You want to mess with her files and replace it with weird stuff, huh? Love it. Let's prank her!”

That was not actually what Lance had been planning. He'd thought Matt would have a surge of brotherly protective spirit and block Pidge from porn altogether, but this worked fine too. “Yes. That. Exactly.”

“Excellent,” Matt said, still rubbing his hands. “Come, my fellow miscreant! Let us prey upon a Pidge.”

 

 

~*~*~

 

 

Matt's room had dozens of screens and panels, each glowing softly in muted colors. It would have been pretty if Matt hadn't been practically cackling, swiveling in his chair, typing furiously and grinning like a villain from some 90s scifi. “Yes, yes my sister! Try and fight back!”

“Is she doing anything?” Lance said curiously, peering at one of the screens. It was only displaying code—pure gibberish, to his eyes. “What's she watching anyway?”

“Nothing. She's playing a game. I'm messing with her save files,” Matt laughed, enjoying himself too much to fully concentrate.

“Wait, what?! Dude, you can't mess with someone's save files! That's evil!”

“Damn right it is,” Pidge said, her face suddenly flickering onto all of Matt's screens. She glared at them, her glasses obscuring her eyes. She looked menacing. And adorable. “What are you doing, Matt? And why are _you_ there, Lance?!”

“Why are _you_ playing video games without me?!” Lance countered. “You said you were watching porn! You lied to me. About _gaming_!”

“So? I wanted some alone time. I thought saying I was watching porn would get me some privacy, but I guess not.” It was hard to tell if she was more embarrassed or pissed off.

Matt chuckled. “Don't worry, Lance. She's just playing some otome.”

“Shut UP, Matt,” Pidge hissed. “And if you touched my Sylvester or my Nikolai files, I swear I will burn your nads off with Lotor's hair dryer, and that thing has TEN settings. Good NIGHT.” Matt's screens went blank as Pidge's image cut out.

Matt cracked his knuckles and leaned back in his chair. “Worth it,” he chuckled.

Lanced looked at him, his eyes wide and serious. “She’s gonna kill us.”

“Worth it,” Matt repeated. He patted Lance’s arm. “Don’t worry. She won’t stay mad at you.”

 

 

~*~*~

 

 

Pidge could definitely stay mad at Lance—no matter what Matt said. Lance knew that Pidge could sulk for months if she felt like it, and he had just given her amble reason to. He stumbled back to his room and slumped onto his bed, too tired and mortified to bother Hunk and Shay. It wasn’t fair. Of course he shouldn’t have invaded her privacy—or gotten Matt involved—but a game?! She was gaming without him?! If that wasn’t a betrayal of friendship, he didn’t know what was (other than maybe convincing a sibling to hack into a porn stash). And now he was the one in trouble, so he couldn’t even complain about it. He rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling.

Well, at least she hadn’t been watching porn. That was something. He didn’t have to feel jealous anymore and oh my god he had _totally_ been jealous. Of porn. He grabbed a pillow and growled his frustration into it. He was SO stupid. He owed Pidge an apology, big time. He began to form a plan, intending to put it into action first thing in the morning.

 

 

~*~*~

 

 

She was adorable in her pajamas, and the loose shirt revealed a tantalizing amount of creamy shoulder. The stubborn pout of her lips and frown in her eyes was also adorable, as was the way she cocked out one hip. Lance stared like the idiot he was for several seconds before Pidge meaningfully cleared her throat.

“I’m an idiot,” Lance blurted out. “I shouldn’t have violated your privacy, and I’m still a little mad you were playing a game without me, but mostly I’m an idiot, and I’ve brought you pancakes. Or, um, something resembling pancakes. Hunk helped, so they’re probably edible.”

Pidge arched an eyebrow. “You’re mad that I was playing an otome game without you?” She sounded entirely unconvinced.

“Well, yeah. We’re in the middle of space! I’m dying for new material here. I’ll play _anything_. Gaming friends don’t hold out on each other,” he said.

She scowled. “See, that’s why I didn’t want to tell you. You’ll just make fun of it, and I’m actually enjoying it.”

“Hey! How do you know I’d make fun of it?”

She rolled her eyes. “You make fun of everything, Lance.”

“True,” he admitted, “but that just means it wouldn’t be weird for me to make fun of this game, right?” He smirked a little. “Or are you just afraid I’d beat you thanks to my incredible flirting skills?”

Pidge snorted and possibly smiled a little. “Practice does not always make perfect, Mr. McClain.”

“I guess the game will help me improve then, yes?” he said, encouraged by the slight smile.

Pidge’s almost-but-not-quite-smiled faded. “You’re not going to make fun of me for playing a girly game?” she said after a pause.

“Uh Pidge, you _are_ a girl. It’s totally fine if you want to play a girly game. And of the two of us, I’m the one who has five different skin treatment routines with variations for humidity conditions, and it’s not like you make fun of me for that,” he said.

There was a short silence.

“Oh my god, you totally make fun of me.”

Pidge shrugged, a little apologetic. “Hunk does a really good impression.”

“Pidge, you wound me.”

“Shouldn’t you be groveling right now?”

Lance bowed his head immediately and extended the pancakes again. “Please, Mistress Pidge, forgive me! I am very dumb and cannot help it but also I think you’re a great friend, so please accept my humble offering of imitation breakfast food!”

“That’s better,” she said simply. Lance stole a glance upward, searching for forgiveness. She noticed and scowled slightly. “I’m still mad at you, though.” She grabbed the offered plate. “Thank you for the fake cakes,” she added shortly and closed the door.

 _Success_ , Lance thought happily.

 

 

~*~*~

 

If Lance had thought he was forgiven, he was sorely mistaken. Pidge pointedly ignored him all day—other than laying into him rather hard during training. She ruthlessly bested him five times before Shiro recommended they switch sparring partners.

Bruised in both pride and body, Lance moped in Hunk’s room, feeling very sorry for himself.

Shay was sympathetic. “I’m sure Pidge just needs some time,” she said.

“Yeah man, she totally whupped your ass today. She's gotta feel better after that,” Hunk said encouragingly. He thumped the Blue Paladin on the back. “Give it a few days and she’ll come round. You’ll see.”

“Definitely,” Shay nodded firmly.

Only slightly comforted, Lance acknowledged their points but soon slunk off to mope in his own room.

“Poor kid,” Hunk said. “He’s got it bad for her.”

“He does,” Shay agreed, and then paused. “There’s one thing I don’t understand though. What’s ‘porn’?”

Hunk blushed hard, stammered, and made a mental note to strangle Lance the next time he saw him.

 

 

~*~*~

 

 

Lance finished washing off the last of his night mask and patted his face with a soft towel. He studied himself critically in the mirror and frowned. He was no Shiro, but he was by no means bad looking. Really. He was funny, he was the team sharpshooter, and he had loads of charm. Plus, he hung out with Pidge all the time. They had fun together. She laughed. Accounting for all that—providing she forgave him—did he have a shot with her? “Am I stuck in the friendzone?” he asked his reflection. He thought about how pissed Pidge had looked that morning, and how she had ignored him all day (when she wasn’t beating him up). “Am I even still in the friendzone?” he muttered.

He jumped at a sudden knock on his door and went to answer it. There stood Pidge, hands on her hips, glaring fiercely.

“You wanna know why what you did sucks?” Pidge asked. “It’s ‘cause it was you. If it was just Matt, I could have vented to you, but nope! Both of you were pissing me off. And I can’t complain to Hunk ‘cause he already gets it bad enough from you, and I don’t want to bug Shiro when Keith’s at the Castle since he’s gone so much, and with Allura out that left me Coran. I had to talk to CORAN, Lance. You really suck.”

Lance winced. “Yeah, I really do. I’m sorry, Pidge. And um,” he hesitated. “It wasn’t really Matt’s fault. It was kinda my idea.” He scuffed the floor with his shoe sheepishly. “I didn’t know he was going to mess with your game files, if that helps.” He glanced up.

Pidge’s annoyance was overshadowed by a slow confusion. “You wanted to hack my porn? Why?”

“Well,” Lance hesitated. “I was pissed you ditched me for porn.” It was mostly true.

Pidge looked at him with utter disbelief, like he had just said the stupidest thing she had ever heard. “Wow.”

“Yeah,” Lance said, flushing pink.

“Well, what would you have done if I just said I wanted some alone time?”

“Probably freaked out that you were sick,” he admitted.

She sighed. “So I couldn’t have won with you anyway.” She punched his shoulder lightly. “I’m still a bit mad, but you’re getting there.”

Lance beamed. “I’ll keep working at it!”

Pidge nodded. “See that you do,” she said. “Good night, Lance.”

“Good night, Pidge!” Lance said, and waved her goodbye with a goofy grin. Not such a bad day after all.

 

 

~*~*~

 

 

The next morning, Lance woke up to the sound of a soft “ping” from his tablet. He checked it. Ultimate Prince Otome successfully installed.

Lance threw off his covers and positively bounded out of bed. He was excited for breakfast. In fairness, he was always excited for breakfast, but he was particularly excited this morning. Pidge had forgiven him—or at least, mostly forgiven him—and he had a new game to play! He couldn’t wait to talk to her. He flounced into the kitchen and sang out a merry greeting. “Gooood morning, everyone! Wait, what are you guys doing?” he said. Everyone was packing their food up.

“Good morning. Coran asked us to eat in one of the council chambers. He said he had something to show us,” Shiro greeted him.

“Oooo, I hope it’s fun,” Lance said. He grinned over at Pidge, who smiled back—just a tiny bit—before looking away. Was that a hint of a blush? Cute.

Once everyone had piled into the council room with their breakfasts, Coran cleared his throat and stood up next to a screen. Lance had made sure he was sitting next to Pidge and he gave her a friendly grin before he started in on his meal. Matt sat down next to them.

“It’s come to my attention that some of you are interested in becoming sexually active,” Coran said. An image of a bright purple penis flickered onto the screen. Lance choked. “Sorry to spring this on you during breakfast, but I didn’t want it get in the way of training time. Now, let’s discuss the importance of hygiene.”

Lance turned to gape at Pidge. She was intensely focused on Coran and the screen, but it was clear she was suppressing laughter.

Shiro raised his hand. “I appreciate the effort you’ve gone to, Coran, but we’re all adults here, and several of us have been sexually active for a while now.” He was slightly pink in the face. Beside him, Keith was buried in his hands, the tips of his ears visible and the brightest red.

“Now, now,” said Coran, “I’m not trying to call out any individual, so I’m showing this to everyone. A refresher course is always good for you, anyway! Excellent! Let’s take a look at the wonders of the universe.” The slide changed to a spotted, multi-headed appendage. “This here is a beautiful example of—hold on, that’s upside down.” The image flipped. “Oh, no it wasn’t.” It flipped back. “Always hard to tell with these little critters,” Coran chuckled. “But they’re always up for a good time, haha!”

Lance leaned over to Pidge. “This is your doing, isn’t it?” he said, his voice low.

Pidge turned to face him, expression completely solemn. “Lance, education is always important,” she said. “Now shush. I want to hear about the mating cycle of Bvlocrian Mibites.”

 _She’s not cute, she’s evil,_ Lance realized. _She’s an adorable, evil genius._

It took well over 30 minutes for Coran to finish his presentation and Pidge applauded at the end.

“Well done, Coran! That was extremely informative,” she exclaimed. “Bravo!”

“Yes, Coran. That was…informative,” Shiro said with a strained smile.

“So long as everyone learned something, I’m thrilled,” Coran said modestly, twirling his mustache. He sent Lance a wink. Lance wanted to die.

“It’s a shame Allura had to miss that,” Pidge sighed. She thought a moment and then perked up. “Maybe you could do a part two when she gets back?”

“I would be delighted!” Coran exclaimed.

Keith groaned. Hunk looked sick. Pidge gave Lance and Matt a shit-eating grin.

“You played with fire,” she said.

Matt laughed and clapped Lance on the back. “I think we lost this round.”

Coran looked quizzically at the three of them but Pidge flashed him a reassuring smile and a thumbs up. “Thanks Coran,” she said. He beamed.

“Always happy to help the paladins in any way I can,” he said. “Now, clear your plates and let’s get to work!”

 

~*~*~

 

 

After what seemed like far too long a day, Lance finally had a chance to sit with Pidge and start playing the otome. He sucked at it.

“Why won't Allen take me to the rooftop?” he whined.

“Did you let him put his hand up your skirt?” Pidge asked.

“Of course not! I'm not a slut,” Lance said in a mock scandalized tone.

Pidge chuckled. “There's your problem. Allen doesn't have the confidence to go after hard-to-get girls. You have to show him you're not a tease or he won't respond to you at all. He's a total dick.”

Lance stared at the screen. “Wow, this game is pretty twisted. Do girls have to put up with this kind of stuff in real life?”

Pidge shrugged. “If they want guys like Allen, I guess. I don't.”

“Ooo! Which guy would you choose?” Lance was very interested.

Pidge snorted. “Sylvester. He's got the best cut scenes. And his accent is amazing.”

“Wait, there are cut scenes?! Where?”

“You have to unlock them, stupid,” Pidge said. She stuck her tongue out at him. “I thought you were supposed to kick my butt at this. Aren't you Lover Boy Lance or something? Where'd all your flirting skills go?”

“My charm does not appear to translate to the screen. All the responses are preset,” Lance responded with great dignity. He went back to the main menu to examine this Sylvester

fellow. As he scrolled down through the characters (he'd started with “Allen” due to alphabetical order), he paused. Ricardo. Ricardo was Cuban. He had caramel skin, short hair, and a very smirky grin—in short, he looked remarkably like Lance. He silently read the character description: prankster playboy with a romantic heart, looking for love. He swallowed hard.

“So,” he said as casually as he could, “what about some of these other characters? Do you like Ricardo?”

“Oh hell no. He's a ridiculous flirt and totally swarmed by women. It's pretty much impossible to keep him actually focused on you. He's almost as bad as Allen,” Pidge scowled.

Lance's heart dropped. Well, shit. “He's good looking at least,” Lance muttered.

Pidge shrugged. “I guess.”

Lance scrolled through the character screen silently and considered letting Allen feel him up. _Someone_ might as well get some action. He clearly wasn't going to. Disheartened, he selected Sylvester and tried to size up the competition.

Pidge glanced at him, noticing his lack of spirit. She pursed her lips, thinking, before returning to her game without saying anything.

 

 

~*~*~

 

 

Lance was thoroughly wooed by Sylvester. The man was an Italian stallion, oozing sex with his smoldering eyes and he was totally devoted to the player. Lance unlocked five scenes overnight, a feat which he reported proudly to Pidge in the morning.

“He's got 16 scenes,” she laughed. “But, good job. He's got a nice accent, huh?”

“Ugh, he was SO smooth in the hot tub scene! Pidge, I am not proud of this, but my heart might have fluttered.”

Keith gagged from across the table and the gamers ignored him.

“Wait, what hot tub scene? Show me!” They poured over the tablet.

“Maybe it's from one of the files Matt messed with?” Lance suggested.

“Hey, I put all those back! Leave me out of this!” Matt huffed.

Shiro laughed. “Maybe Lance is a good flirt after all?”

“What do you mean by 'after all'?” Lance narrowed his eyes.

Pidge put a finger in Lance's face. “You keep your mitts off my man,” she hissed. “We've gone on ten dates and we're in love.”

“And yet, he took me on a private spa weekend,” Lance teased.

Hunk groaned. “Of course Lance got a spa weekend. Don't worry about it, Pidge.”

Coran looked around the group with great interest. “So, who is this Sylvester fellow? When do I get to meet him?”

“He's from the game they're playing; just ignore them,” Keith advised. “Anyway, we should all get going.”

Coran sighed. “Pity. Always nice to meet new people. Well, let's get to it.”

 

 

~*~*~

 

 

“Okay, I’m off for my porn night,” Pidge announced after dinner.

“Alright!” Lance yelled happily, jumping up. “Let’s go!”

Pidge gave him a weird look and Lance paused. “Why are you coming?” she asked.

“Aren’t you going to…? Can I not…?” he sputtered. He looked around at the other paladins for help, realized what he’d said, and turned red. “Wait, Pidge, are you actually planning to watch porn?!”

Pidge smirked. “Who knows. You still coming?”

“Yes, but I reserve the right to leave the second something gets weird,” Lance said as he followed her out of the room.

Keith turned to Hunk. “Okay, what the hell just happened?”

Hunk raised his hands helplessly. “Don’t look at me. I just live here.”

 

 

~*~*~

 

 

Rather than go back to Pidge’s room, they grabbed their tablets and headed to one of the Castle’s lounges. Playing games on a couch was more comfortable and this way they could sit beside each other and neither of them had to be on the floor. For added comfort, they were in their pajamas complete with lion slippers. Emboldened by his success with Sylvester, Lance announced he would attempt Allen once more.

“We'll see if this dweeb can resist what's up my skirt,” Lance said deviously. He glanced up, expecting Pidge to laugh. She was scrolling through the character screen.

“I think I'll give Ricardo another shot,” she said. She raised her eyes and met his. He immediately dropped her gaze, uncertain what to make of her expression or selection.

“Ah,” was all he came up with. Was his face hot? He felt flushed.

“Well, he is pretty good-looking,” she reasoned.

Yup. Definitely flushed. “Ah,” he said again.

“Who knows, maybe if I can figure out what he likes, he won't flirt with all the girls.”

Lance failed to think of something witty. When Pidge remained quiet, he dared to glance up again. She was still looking at him, the tablet now on her lap.

“Ah?” she asked, not mocking, but giving a hint that he should make a comment.

What was Pidge getting at? She hadn't figured it out, had she? And if she had, what then? A thousand thoughts kept trying to invade, but his mind remained stubbornly blank. “Maybe Ricardo's just stupid?” he said.

Pidge snorted. “Maybe.” After a slight pause, she picked up her tablet again. “How would you seduce Ricardo?”

“Laugh at his jokes,” Lance said immediately.

“Even though they aren't funny?”

“Hey, my jokes are funny!” he protested and immediately slapped a hand over his mouth.

Pidge's lips pressed shut and her grip on the tablet tightened. She stared at the screen.

“Pidge, I...,” Lance started but drifted off.

“And was that a joke? Am I supposed to laugh?” she said quietly. When Lance did not reply, she continued. “You've been weird these last few weeks. Is something going on? Did I do something?”

“No,” Lance shook his head vigorously. “No, you're fine Pidge.”

Pidge swallowed hard and bit her lip. “What do you want, Lance?” She still wasn't looking at him.

She knew. She definitely knew. So why did she look so scared?

“I don't want to hurt you,” he said.

“Then be blunt,” she said. Her voice was shaking.

Lance took a deep breath. “I like you, Pidge. I really like you.”

“You like every girl.” Her voice was almost a whisper.

Lance ran his hands through his hair. She wasn't wrong—he flirted with everyone. But he didn't mean much by it. It was his shtick. He liked making girls feel pretty, and if they responded, he would absolutely pursue wherever that lead. But, all of that was just him exploring his options. He didn't need to explore when he'd already found what he was looking for. “I know what this must look like from your perspective,” he said slowly. “I know I flirt with a lot of girls—”

“All of them. All of them but me,” she quietly interrupted with a hint of pain her voice. “If you've just finally run out of options, please stop talking.”

Lance winced. If that was really what she thought of him, he needed to stop trying to hide his feelings—she deserved to know he was serious. “No, Pidge. I promise it's not like that,” Lance insisted gently. “You're one of my best friends. You're way too important to me to ever treat you like you're just an option. You're not. I value you and our friendship way too much to ever not take this seriously. I like you. I really, really like you. I'm sorry I've been weird. I kinda freaked out when I realized how I felt. I was scared that it would make you uncomfortable and honestly, the thought of messing up our friendship terrifies me. I don't wanna hurt you and I don't wanna lose you,” he said, the words starting to rush out. “If any of this bothers you, just tell me. I'll shut up. Seriously. I'll never talk about it again. Just tell me what you want me to do.” He held his breath, searching her face for a clue, as she thought for a moment before answering.

“I guess Ricardo's just stupid,” she said finally.

“Very,” he agreed readily. “But, um, stupid how?”

“That's not how you ask someone out.”

“Oh! Um,” Lance said. His brain scrambled for a better answer. “Should I try again?”

“Yes,” Pidge said. Her face was flushed a light pink. “Like maybe when you're wearing real clothes?”

He sprang up immediately. “Stay here! I'll be right back!” he said and rushed out of the room. He thought he heard a soft laugh behind him and he grinned. He reached his room in record time and swapped his clothes as fast as he could. He grabbed paper and a pencil, hurriedly scrawled something down, and then rushed back to the lounge. He arrived completely out of breath and had to pant in front of Pidge for a moment to regain his speech. She giggled, which was very encouraging.

“Pidge Katie Gunderson Holt,” he said when he had gulped down sufficient air, “would you like to go on a date with me?” He thrust out the paper he'd been clutching. “I'm sorry, I didn't have a chance to buy flowers.”

Pidge accepted the offered page and examined it. The hastily scribbled drawing was indeed of flowers—a bouquet of daisies.

“Okay,” she said shyly. “I'll give you a shot.”

Lance fist pumped and she laughed.

 

 

~*~*~

 

 

Lance didn't need to crash Hunk's room for the latter to have a pretty good understanding of what had happened. The Blue Paladin was full of energy the next day, constantly remarking on how beautiful everything was and finger-gunning and grinning at everyone he talked to. Pidge, for her part, acted normally—other than perhaps a slight blush when she spoke to Lance.

After dinner, Lance stood up and stretched. “Alright gang, I’m missing practice tomorrow and I’ll be gone all day. Don’t wait up for me,” he announced.

“What, why?” Shiro said, skeptical of letting any paladin skip practice.

“I’ve got a hot date,” he winked.

“You? With who?” Keith asked, incredulous.

“Some broad,” Pidge shrugged.

Matt looked back and forth between them and grinned. “Make sure you bring condoms,” he teased.

Coran looked up, startled. “Yes, please do! I know you’re at that age where you’re interested in sex, but Hemarsic warts are nothing to laugh at!”

Hunk groaned and put his head in hands. “Please do NOT tell me how your date goes.”

Lance winked and finger-gunned. “My buddy, my man, I will be telling you _all_ the best details! Which will be about how I behaved like a proper gentleman and opened every single door for her,” he added as he nervously glanced over at Matt. Matt gave him a thumbs up and a wink.

Pidge just rolled her eyes.

 

 

~*~*~

 

 

Lance spent the better part of the evening in Hunk's room, planning the date and squealing with Shay. Hunk's interest in helping with the planning increased measurably when he realized this was an excellent opportunity to learn what Shay would like on a date. The three had a productive evening, and prior to bed Lance went to make the final arrangement, which was talking briefly to Pidge. He tapped on her door and recommended she wear comfortable clothes and walking shoes the next day, but wait no, um, he's not trying to _tell_ her what to wear, if she'd rather wear a skirt for a date that's fine but oh my god should this have been a formal thing, because reservations might be hard to get or do they even have that in space, but maybe if—and thankfully Pidge interrupted him by flicking his forehead and saying “Pants. Shoes. Got it.”

Lance got up early to surprise Pidge with more fake cakes which they ate together while grimacing through Allen's story line. A quick parting to change for the day and they set off to let the rest of the crew know they were leaving. Lance couldn't help but steal glances at Pidge. She wasn't wearing anything particularly different from her usual—a simple white shirt, jeans (or rather, the best space equivalent they'd found so far), and black boots. But somehow, she was still stunning. How could he have failed to notice how lovely she had become? Her transition to womanhood had been gradual, to be sure, but she had blossomed from a tiny and boyish kid to this slender, spunky goddess—all subtle curves and soft, pale skin. Even her hair seemed to have changed, but that was perhaps simply because she had grown it out some to be able to tie it back into a ponytail whenever she was tinkering on something (which was almost constantly). She was adorable, and so very, very huggable and he was so busy stealing another glance that he nearly walked into her as she stopped to poke her head in the kitchen.

“We're taking Pod 8,” she called out.

“Wait, why are you going on Lance's date?” Keith asked, spying Lance behind her.

“Bodyguard.” “Babysitter.” Lance and Pidge said at the same time. Keith gawked at them, a slow realization dawning.

“You two have a nice time,” Shiro grinned.

“Will do,” Lance said with a salute as the couple started off.

“Say hi to Sylvester for me!” yelled Coran merrily with a wave.

And with that, they were gone.

 

 

~*~*~

 

 

The nearest planet was only a short flight away, and they made it to their first destination—a space zoo—right as it was opening for the day. They quickly plotted their route, allowing them to view the zoo in its entirety while being present for the maximum number of shows and feedings. By lunch they had completed their circuit and retreated into one of the zoo's cafes. A light rain had started, but they were in high spirits and reviewed their morning's selfies (Lance was addicted) before deciding to eat.

“It was the closest thing I could find to pizza,” Lance explained.

“Lance, this is shmooshed fruit on some kind of fried nut cracker with sour yogurt.”

“Tomatoes are a kind of fruit,” Lance pointed out. “And yogurt is a type of cheese.”

“No it is not,” she laughed. “But it looks pretty good anyway.”

Lance offered her a forkful of “pizza” and happily watched Pidge's lips as she consumed the bite. Indirect kiss. She offered him a piece of her meatcube (what she had dubbed the fried hunk of food that was her meal). A second kiss!

“You like it?” she asked, noticing his happy grin.

“Everything is great,” he said. Fantastic, really.

She smiled. “Yup. Good choices so far, Ricardo.”

“Never call me but that cursed name,” Lance huffed. He covered his heart as though wounded and Pidge giggled at him.

“Very well, Mr. Not-Ricardo,” she replied. He nodded acquiescence graciously. “Where to next?”

The next stop luckily happened to be indoors (Lance had not checked the weather). It was an arcade, the biggest either of them had ever seen. The date itself was nearly forgotten in the sudden and intense rivalry that sprang up between the gamers. The sharpshooter lived up to his title by winning the shooting games by a small margin, but Pidge managed to pull ahead on racing games.

“Hey there, Tailor. Aren't you supposed to be threading the needle?” she teased.

In fairness to Lance, he was experiencing some flashbacks to the last time he and Pidge had raced and was not the top of his game. He would have been extremely gratified to know that Pidge was thinking of that event, too, though she was able to turn the memory into further fuel.

They pooled their tickets together to buy a giant, stuffed lion, or a least a giant, stuffed creature that appeared to have been made by someone who had _heard_ of lions but never seen one. The clerk informed them it was a very popular item and was named Paladin. Pidge and Lance immediately fought over ownership before agreeing on joint custody.

“Let's head back to the pod,” Lance said.

“Already?” Pidge asked, trying not to sound as disappointed as she felt. She'd thought the plan was for a full day.

“Just to put Paladin away,” Lance grinned. “My sweet kitty needs to stay safe.”

“ _Your_ sweet kitty?”

“Our sweet kitty,” he corrected.

“Much better,” she nodded.

With Paladin dry and secure, Lance led the way to a nearby theater. There was a large variety of movies playing and he went to purchase snacks while Pidge selected the show. She picked Midnight Blood Ghost Souls from the Moons. Excellent. A horror film. He was more than ready to play the manly comforter.

After distributing snacks and settling in their seats, Lance performed a casual yawn and stretch, dropping one arm behind Pidge's chair. Pidge raised an eyebrow.

“Won't your arm get tired like that?” she asked.

“Nope. Super comfy,” Lance replied. He drummed his fingers on the back of the chair. “Comfy as pie.”

Pidge smirked. “Alright, but if you get scared, you can always just hold my hand.”

“I'd take you up on that,” he said smoothly, “but I won't be getting scared.”

He got scared. He managed to keep up a manly facade for a full 20 minutes before clutching one of her hands in both of his. She snickered. He spent the rest of the movie alternating between squeezing her hand, covering his eyes, and nearly jumping into her lap.

“You were very brave,” she said soothingly as she patted his hand during the credits.

“Please never speak of this again,” he begged.

“What was that about telling Hunk all of the best parts? This is definitely going on _my_ highlight reel anyway.”

Lance groaned and hid his face in his hands.

“Well, why not?” she teased. “It _was_ the first time we held hands,” she pointed out as she slipped one of hers back into his grasp.

He smiled sheepishly. “How come you're so much better at this than me?”

“Lance, I'm better at everything.”

He gasped in mock pain. “Pidge! So cruel!”

They left the theater, still hand in hand, and wandered to the street. Thankfully, it had stopped raining. The evening was beautiful and little stalls had been set up along the streets, providing a happy bustle of sound, color, and movement as aliens swarmed to celebrate the festival. The great thing about having an entire planet's worth of activities to choose from meant that somewhere, there was definitely a festival, and Lance had taken advantage of the opportunity. They wandered past a myriad of stalls and vendors and, after purchasing some delicious-smelling but suspicious-looking grilled meat-stuffed fruits, they found a pleasant spot to enjoy supper.

“There's a parade in about an hour,” Lance said in between bites as he checked his watch. “There's also going to be some kind of play near the river, but if we want to get a good spot for the fireworks, we should skip it.”

“Did you know you managed to fit four kinds of dates into one day?” Pidge said as she licked her fingers clean of the last of the suspicious meat-fruit. “I give you an A for effort and an A for execution. 10/10, would recommend.”

“Just trying to make up for lost time,” Lance beamed. “So, we're four dates in, mm? Does that qualify me for a kiss?” He struck a pose and winked.

“Still the first date,” Pidge corrected, “just made up of four parts. And as to your question: maybe. Depends on the quality of the fireworks.”

“Yikes! My love life is in the hands of a pyrotech,” Lanced laughed nervously. He had a feeling Pidge had very high standards for fireworks.

As a precaution, Lance took extra care in finding them a fantastic viewing spot. They sat next to each other on the soft, grass-like vegetation covering the park and somehow their hands ended up linked together. It was magical. It also didn't help Lance's nerves. One knee bounced anxiously while he prattled inanely. Pidge laughed at his jokes, and damned if that wasn't indeed the way to seduce Ricardo. He could listen to her laugh for hours, even though he suspected that sometimes she was laughing at him instead of the joke.

The fireworks started. He was too nervous to look at them. He stared at Pidge, trying desperately to decipher her expression or think of something witty to say.

“Lance,” she said. She spoke so softly he almost missed it. “They're spectacular.” She turned slightly to face him and smiled shyly.

He leaned in immediately, his heart leaping. Soft lips met his, slightly open. They pulled gently on his, a light but confident touch. He circled a hand behind her head and another around her waist to pull her closer and she relaxed into him. She broke the kiss momentarily to flick her glance into his eyes and then tilted her head for a deeper kiss. He obliged. He found her mouth eager and willing, sweet and welcoming. He slipped his tongue in and was rewarded with a happy noise from her throat.

A nearby alien coughed meaningfully. The two paladins immediately sprang back, embarrassed, and noticed several children watching them in fascination. The fireworks had ended and it seemed the paladins had begun to provide a show of their own.

“Aha,” Lance laughed sheepishly. “You kids stay in school.” He stood up and tugged Pidge to her feet. “Let's go somewhere more private.”

 

 

~*~*~

 

 

They ended up back in the pod and headed home to the Castle. It was late. Lance offered to escort Pidge back to her room and she accepted his arm with a grin.

“Very gentlemanly. And I noticed you opened several doors,” she said.

“Thank you, miss, it was my pleasure and I am pleased to have made a favorable impression,” he said. He gave her a little bow, made awkward by the giant and fluffy presence of Paladin.

“Mmm, you are _so_ sleeping in my bed tonight,” she said. A garbled and unintelligible noise came out of Lance's throat. She pulled Paladin out of his arms with a grin. Realizing his mistake, Lance blushed harder than he ever had before and Pidge laughed. “How could I not have been referring to this handsome boy?” she said as she squeezed Paladin in a tight hug.

Lance stammered something and, failing to produce words, simply offered his arm again, which she took. They rounded the corner to her room and she gasped.

An absolute forest of bouquets was crowded around her door. She turned to Lance in surprise. He was beaming.

“I had Hunk set them up while we were gone,” he explained.

“Wow,” Pidge said simply and drank in the sight of the flowers.

“Should I...help you with them?” Lance asked shyly. It wasn't like he hadn't been in her room before, but entering after a date that had involved kissing (with tongue!) felt very, very different.

She nodded and unlocked her door. Lance helped her move in and arrange several armfuls of fragrant bouquets. His heart leapt when he noticed a certain piece of paper, covered in scrawled daisies, pinned next to her bed.

Finished with the flowers, Lance lingered in her room. “So, how was it? Do I rank a second date?”

“I'll have to think about it, but you chances are good,” she smiled.

“Shall I do something to sweeten the deal?” he grinned. “There was something else I wanted to do but we didn't have time for it.”

“Alright. Show me what else you've got,” Pidge said.

“Dancing,” Lance said. He reached for her hands, pulled her closed, and arranged them into position.

“Lance, I can't dance,” Pidge protested, but she did not move away.

“Now that I know isn't true, because I'd bet my last cent you could kick my ass at DDR.”

“True.”

“And this is really just swaying,” he concluded. They were in fact swaying. Lance guided them in a gentle rhythm. He hummed softly for a minute before singing a soft love song in Spanish. Pidge sighed and put her head on his chest.

“Okay,” she said. “You won me over. I _guess_ I'll agree to second date.”

“Sweet!” Lance cheered. He squeezed her in a tight hug that lifted her off the floor and swung in small circle. He set her down carefully and gave her a big, goofy smile. “May I have another dance?”

“May I pick it?”

“Of course.”

“I'd like to try the horizontal tango.”

Lance choked. “What?” he managed to squeak after a prolonged coughing fit.

Pidge smiled smugly as she eyed him up and down. “Why not? I bet we'd be good at it.”

Lance blinked rapidly and breathed hard. “What...?” he asked again weakly.

Worry suddenly covered Pidge's face. “If you want to, of course. I'm not trying to pressure you.”

“Does...this mean you like me?”

Pidge's face flooded with relief and amusement. “Yes, Lance McClain, I like you. And for what it's worth, I've liked you for a lot longer than you've liked me.”

Lance grabbed both her hands. “Does this mean you're my girlfriend?” he asked eagerly.

“I don't know. Maybe you should ask me,” Pidge suggested.

“Pidge Katie Gunderson Holt, would you ple—”

**\--!!!--**

“Yes,” she interrupted with a laugh and kissed him. He kissed back, hungry and greedy for more. He could feel desire in her lips and it spurred him further. He pressed her up against her desk and she wrapped her legs around him, pulling him closer. He poured needy kisses on her neck and jaw, nibbling his way back to her ear. She rewarded him with soft pants and began to grind against him. Already half-hard, he moaned.

“That was a nice sound,” she purred in his ear. She slipped a hand down to his crotch and palmed him. He swallowed hard. “Would it be okay,” she asked as her hand slid up and played with the edge of his shirt, “if I sucked on you?” Lance flushed to his ears and nodded vigorously. “Sit on the edge of the bed,” she said.

“You’re sure? Me first?” He quivered. His brain was having trouble keeping up with his excitement and nervousness.

“If you go first, your refractory period post orgasm will hopefully be short enough that after you do me, we'll be set for actual intercourse.”

Well holy shit. There was something surprisingly hot about her scientific reasoning—especially since the reasoning lead to sex. “Are we...going on all the way? “

“That is the hope,” she murmured demurely. Her eyes peeked up mischievously under her soft lashes.

“Wow! What did I do to get lucky on the first date?” Lance said eagerly.

Pidge rolled her eyes. “Who knows. Good timing?”

“Best timing,” Lance insisted.

She smacked his thigh lightly. “Are you going to keep up this banter or let me get going?”

He fumbled with his zipper. “Sorry, I'm just really nervous.”

“Me too,” she admitted. “Probably take your shoes off first?” She helped pull off his shirt.

“Good idea,” he said. He slipped off his shoes, managed to free his zipper, and with a deep breath shoved off his pants and boxers in one swift movement.

Pidge drank in the sight of him. Her eyes roamed his body and she reached out to lightly touch his stomach, trailing her fingers downward and pausing at his cock, fully erect and nearly aching. She frowned slightly. His heart plummeted.

“Is it…not okay?” he asked.

“I think it’s too big for me to deep throat, but I’ll try. Well, maybe not the first time,” she added as an afterthought.

Well, holy quiznat. “Could you....could you be naked, too?”

She nodded shyly and removed her shirt. Lance smiled. Just lovely. He moved his hands to her bra. “Can I help?” She nodded again. He fumbled at the clasp for a moment before unhooking it (Pidge was kind enough to suppress a laugh) and slowly letting it drop to the floor. She had perfect breasts he decided immediately. Small of course, but that didn’t bother him. They were such a smooth, perfect creamy white with pert nipples of the softest pink. He rubbed his thumb over one and she shuddered.

“Didn’t I tell you to sit down?” she said as she gently pressed his chest. He sat down on the edge of the bed, eyes still shining with wonder as they roamed her body, but her message was clear. Patience. Wait for now.

He helped remove her boots, pants, and underwear and stole a kiss, placing it in the hollow of her hip. She smiled and didn’t reprimand him. Her muscles were taut from daily training, but every part of her was still soft and perfect. Gently, she spread his legs and knelt between them.

She brushed her fingers over his cock and he bit back a moan. “Are you a virgin? Are you clean?” she asked quietly.

“Sorta yes and definitely yes,” Lance replied.

Pidge arched an eyebrow. “Sorta?”

“I’ve made out and I’ve given oral, but I’ve never, uh, done the do,” he clarified. “I’m told I’m talented with my mouth,” he added, trying to seem a little less, well, inexperienced.

“So it’s safe to take this in my mouth then?” Pidge murmured, licking from base to tip with one slow lap of her tongue.

Lance shuddered in pleasure. “Yes please,” he squeaked.

She wrapped one arm around his hip, keeping him close and steadying herself. He gripped the edge of the bed as she took his cock in her hand, stroking the base lightly and kissing her way down to the tip. He gasped.

“You like that?” She grinned and took the tip in her mouth, swirling her tongue along the edge. He nearly lost it right there. She hummed at her success and began to bob her head, taking him a little deeper each time and swirling her tongue as she pulled back. She dug her fingers tighter into his hips as he gasped her name. His knuckles clenched white as he struggled to stay still. “It’s okay to move your hips,” she said, apparently reading his mind.

“O-okay,” he said brokenly. He placed one hand behind her head and began to move slowly. She let him establish a rhythm before joining it, pumping her fist around his base while alternating between licking his head and slit as he slide in her mouth. He tightened his grip on her hair and moved as fast he dared. She moaned around him. No longer able to hold back his moans, he gasped her name as his body begged for release. “P-pidge, that’s s-so good. I’m gonna—“ he lost his words in another moan and tried to tug back on her, warning her. She gripped him tighter in answer and sucked him harder. Hoping that was permission, he came gratefully into her mouth, moaning her name. She sucked him through it, cradling his balls and squeezing very, very lightly, and licked along his length until, oversensitive, he had to ask her to stop.

“That was fun,” she said with gleaming eyes.

“Piiiidge, you almost killed me,” he groaned and flopped back on the bed. Mind blank, he stared up. His eyes slowly came into focus on a familiar image. Above her bed was a poster of none other than Ricardo himself. “Are you serious?! I thought you hated Ricardo!”

Pidge had the decency to look very embarrassed when she shrugged. “He’s a bad character. He does look like you, though.”

“How did you find that poster anyway?” Lance asked in disbelief.

“I had it made,” Pidge said simply.

Lance whistled low. “Wow. You’ve really got it bad for that Lance guy.”

“Sometimes. When he doesn’t push his luck. Haven’t you heard of an afterglow? Scoot over.”

Lance obliged and made room for Pidge as she snuggled next to him, sighing happily. “I’ve been wanting to do that for a while.”

“Really??  Which part?”

“Making you moan my name,” she grinned and draped an arm across his chest, snuggling closer.

“Holy shit, Pidge. You’re intense. I’m losing my confidence over here.”

“I don’t think that’s possible for you,” Pidge teased.

“I’m serious! You broke me, girl. Here lies Lance, dead via orgasm. May he rest in peace,” Lance said solemnly.

“Not too peacefully, I hope. I’m intrigued by your professed tongue skills,” Pidge said, propping herself up on one elbow to grin down at him.

“Yes ma’am,” he said, sitting up. “Wait—lube!” he realized suddenly.

“Second draw,” she gestured toward her desk.

“Wow, great that you have on hand!” he said as scrambled to retrieve a bottle.

“Of course I have lube. Don’t tell me you’ve been whacking it dry this whole time.”

“….I have lotion.”

Pidge laughed hard. “No wonder your dick is so smooth.”

Lance crawled back onto the bed. “I’m taking that as compliment,” he replied as he kissed her breast. Her breath hitched. He explored her body with soft, leisurely kisses. It was almost embarrassing to think how often this small frame had beaten him in training, but now the thought of being dominated by her was nothing but exciting. His kisses turned firmer and each place his lips touched tasted sweet. Utterly glorious. She let out a needy whine.

“Lower?” he purred. He sucked one nipple, biting lightly.

“Lance, p-please,” she gasped. “I want more.”

In response, he moved one hand down her body brushed his fingers across her opening, teasing the rim without entering. His other hand massaged her breast while he continued his work on her nipple. She gasped and arched into his touching. She threaded her hands through his hair and pressed him downward. He chuckled and kissed his way to her pelvis, stopping to breathe in her scent and nuzzle at the soft hair, his fingers never stopping their teasing.

He admired the sight of her, legs spread for him, her skin such a beautiful pink—already so tantalizingly wet. He licked into her folds and she sucked in her breath, spreading her legs wider. Supporting himself on his elbows, he placed his thumbs over her hips and ducked his head deep between her thighs. He flicked his tongue around her entrance, lapping up the sweetness he found there. It was intoxicating. He pushed his tongue in, licking in a steady rhythm and Pidge squirmed, pushing back against him. Her hands were still in his hair and she tugged him closer. He switched his grip to angle her hips back and sucked hard as he licked deeper. Pidge moaned broken encouragement. Pausing only brief to apply ample lube to his fingers, Lance licked up her folds to reach her clit, touching it for the first time. “Sorry it’s cold,” he said, kissing her thigh. She shuddered. He slid in a finger. She pressed back into him with a cry.

Lance was rock hard against the sheets. He moaned against her as he licked and sucked desperately and added a second and then a third finger, hooking them inside her to drag across a cluster of nerves. She thrust her hips to push his fingers deeper, her rhythm growing erratic as her cries grew louder and she neared her peak.

“Wait, wait, Lance stop. I changed my mind,” she cried. Lance froze, his blood draining from his face. “I want,” she gasped, “I want you in me. For my first time with you, I want you in.”

Lance slumped over. “You just killed me, Pidge. I am dead. I thought you changed your mind about _us_.”

“Sorry, sorry! I heard it as I said it, but it’s hard to talk when you’re,” she gestured downward. “You’re um, you’re really good at that.”

Lance groaned. “I forgive you, because you’re my wonderful girlfriend and super cute and sexy, but _please_ stop trying to kill.”

“Was the death via orgasm not acceptable?” she teased.

He kissed her thigh in reply and got back on his knees to crawl up and settle himself over her. Lance’s voice was husky. “How do you want to do this? Do I need to get condoms?”

“We can go raw,” she said. “I’m on birth control.”

Lance’s mouth dropped open. “Really? Since when??”

  
“Since we first got to space. In case I got captured by the Galra,” she added, seeing his confusion.

Lance’s stomach dropped. The thought of Pidge captured, tortured, raped… He felt nauseous. They worst he’d ever thought about was imprisonment or death, maybe _torture_ , but certainly not what Pidge had pictured and even planned for, like it was a practical, logical step. And she was right. “Pidge,” he said, his voice shaky, “I will _not_ let that happen.”

Pidge smiled softly. She reached out and gently caressed his cheek. “I know,” she whispered. She pulled him down for a tender kiss.

He answered her, kiss for kiss. Where before he’d been awkward—though eager and enthusiastic—now he was firm, possessive. He’d switched from being a boy, happy and fumbling with his girlfriend, to a man, gently but steadily claiming his woman. He’d switched from lust to love.

His length rubbed across her clit and she moaned. He leaned down so his forehead rested on hers. “Ready for me?” he asked. In answer, she tilted her hips and wrapped one hand around his cock, guiding him in.

Lance rolled his hips in steady thrusts, tortuously and deliciously slow, relentless in rhythm. Pidge moaned low in her throat, in sync with his movements.

“Is slow good?” Lance asked. He planted soft kisses on her neck and throat.

“Yes,” she breathed. “P-perfect. But not enough.” She hooked her legs around him and pressed her heals into his back. She looked into his eyes and whispered through parted lips, “Take me.”

Who was he to deny such a request? He snapped his hips forward with deep, firm thrusts.

“Lance, oh god, you feel so good in me,” Pidge cried. Her fingers scrambled over his back, frantic to get a firmer grip on her lover. She was already on edge, still keyed up from Lance’s earlier attentions, and she was unable to do anything besides hold onto him and ride through the pleasure.

Pidge was chanting his name and losing herself in frenzied praise. His fingers clenched the sheets, desperate to last as long as possible for her.

“Right there, Lance, oh god _right there_ ,” she begged.

Lance thrust deep and dragged his cock relentlessly over the desired spot and she came in seconds with a silent cry, spasming around him and pushing him into his own release. He cried her name as he spilled inside her. He was utterly and completely lost in warmth and satisfied desire, and he had never felt so safe.

Pidge threaded her fingers through his hair and gently massaged the nape of his head as they both shuddered through slight aftershocks of pleasure. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly. “I love you,” he whispered.

She pulled back to look at him and smiled. “You figured it out,” she said, nuzzling his nose.

“Figured out what?”

“Why you got lucky on the first date,” she grinned.

Lance chuckled. “Hmm. So it’s ‘cause you’re gorgeous and super nice and had pity on me?”

“Something like that,” she laughed.

It was several minutes before Lance trusted his pleasure-weak legs to carry him in search of towels. He brought some back to cover the wet spot and to help clean them up, and then they curled up together on Pidge’s bed, nose to nose and holding hands, and feel asleep.

 

 

~*~*~

 

 

“How was your date?” Hunk asked the next morning. “And tell me in only the broadest terms, please,” he added.

“Unutterably incandescent,” Lance sighed dreamily.

“Flowers were a hit?”

“An absolutely lifesaver, you prince among wingmen.”

“Excellent. Please say no more,” Hunk said firmly. Lance laughed merrily.

Pidge walked into the kitchen. “Morning, Baby,” he called to her.

“Morning, Adult,” she said, piling a plate with space goo.

Keith snickered.

“You look lovely this morning, my Pigeon,” Lance grinned when she sat down next to him. She raised an eyebrow. “Sorry, sweet girl, but one of the rules of dating me is pet names are non-negotiable.”

She sighed and lightly punched his arm. “Pigeon, I guess,” she said.

“Aww, my little Pigeon is all grown up and dating!” Matt teased.

Pidge pointed a fork at him. “Pet names are a boyfriend-only privilege.”

“So cold,” he pouted.

“Congratulations you two,” Shiro said with a warm smile.

“Congratulations to who on what now?” Coran asked as he shuffled in, yawning and still in slippers.

“Lance and Pidge met Sylvester!” Matt said helpfully.

Coran looked crestfallen. “He was here? Guys, you’ve got to tell me these things.”

“Sorry, Coran,” Lance said. He reached for Pidge’s hand under the table.

“Next time, we promise,” Pidge added, and she squeezed back.

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fanfic and it has been super fun to write. Working on a part two already! 
> 
> I love Coran. 
> 
> What do people even put in end notes??
> 
> EDIT: I just scanned through this and found like 8 errors. If y'all notice anything, leave it in the comments and I'll fix it!


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